Dog calls are a top priority as deputies watch out for strays

Text: TT

Deputies with the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office continue to carefully patrol the city of Washington looking for aggressive dogs after an elderly woman was attacked and killed by a dog or dogs early on March 31.

“We are aggressively answering any dog calls we get,” Sheriff Mark Moore said. “We’ve had a large number of calls about dogs running loose, but in some cases they’re just pets that have gotten loose or jumped a fence. We have not found any specific large, aggressive dogs that we suspect to be involved with this tragic accident.”

In addition, Sheriff Moore said, “Deputies are continuing to keep an eye out as they patrol for any loose dogs in the city. We’re also working with the city’s animal control officer, Darren Altman, to handle reports of dogs running at large.”

In Monday’s Washington city council meeting, City Administrator Sherri Bailey reviewed the city’s dog ordinances. “Right now, we have a ‘running at large’ ordinance in place and an inoculation ordinance, so if you live in the city, you are supposed to have your dogs under control, in your possession, at all times. If you’re out walking it, it should be on a leash. If you have a dog, it should be either penned up in a secure way and not let it run around in the streets.”

Dogs must also be inoculated against rabies, and proof of inoculation must be on the dog, she said. “You must have your animals’ shots up to date, and we will be picking up these dogs as we find them and take them to the animal shelter, and when you come to claim your dog, if it has not got the proper identification tags and found running at large, citations will be issued for that.”

In response to rumors in the community that Neta Lee Adams’ death was something other than a dog attack, Sheriff Moore said, “That’s just not true. All the evidence we found at the scene supports the findings of the GBI’s autopsy. It was a tragic, very unusual death, and we’re continuing to aggressively handle any kind of animal complaints.”